Germanium

[shijing]

Due to the recent importance of the iodine topic, I've been studying the periodic table trying to identify other elements that might be significant for health which may have been overlooked. The best candidate I've come across so far is germanium -- It's been mentioned briefly and sporadically on the forum, but I don't see anything that really treats it in much detail so I wanted to open a thread on it to see if it deserves more serious attention. Based on what I've read so far, it's claimed to boost oxygen levels in the body and act as both an antimicrobial and anti-cancer agent; it's also supposed to be good for the glandular/endocrine system. Here are some articles, the first two of which having additional links:

https://www.cancertutor.com/germanium/
http://www.essense-of-life.com/topic_A-207/Germanium+Health+Topic.htm
http://www.regenerativenutrition.com/content.asp?id=440
http://orthomolecular.org/library/jom/1987/pdf/1987-v02n02-p083.pdf

There are also a few books on it:

Miracle Cure: Organic Germanium
Germanium: A New Approach to Immunity
Germanium: The Health and Life Enhancer

There seem to be only a few brief videos about this on YouTube, of which this is one:

https://youtu.be/P-Hg6hcOpsI

 

[nicklebleu]

Hi Shijing,

Thanks for posting - that seems to be an interesting compound.

I was able to download the two-part paper (Germane Facts about Germanium Sesquioxide) from Kaplan published in 2004 in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine and I tried to reproduce them here, but it doesn't work, they are all garbled.

So to summarise:
- CEGS has shown a variety of health benefits (as delineated in the video you posted), including a boost of the immune system and anti-tumor activity.
- CEGS (an organic germanium compound) seems to be safe, even in high doses.
- But the same is not true for inorganic compounds, which can produce anaemia and kidney failure, amongst other things. Unlike the organic variety it seems to accumulate in the body over time and may be fatal (whereas CEGS is cleared from the body completely within 72 hours). One of the inorganic compounds that is frequently misidentified as 'organic' is germanium citrate lactate or germanium diioxide (despite it's 'organic' sounding name, these are inorganic substances), which seems to be one source of confusion amongst the few human research papers published establishing it as a 'dangerous supplement'.

The other interesting thing to note is that for the immune-enhancing property (via increase of interferon-gamma) it needs to be taken in a pulsatile manner, otherwise the effect seems to ebb away.

They also cite the same case of a woman with terminal cancer mentioned in the video, who survived over 4 years supplementing with CEGS.

If someone is interested to have the two papers in PDF, PM me your email address and I will send it to you.

Apart from that I found another website covering the topic here. They seem to sell the product as well, although there doesn't seem to be a 'buy'-button in their product page.

There seems to be a formulation available in the US manufactured by Jarrow as 100mg of CEGS, which seems a relatively low dose according to the paper mentioned above.

From what I can see at this stage it seems to me that this could be an interesting substance for cancer treatment, as well as for chronic infections not otherwise curable by standard medicine.

But at this stage I don't have enough information to recommend that as a 'daily supplement'. Unfortunately it seems that there is very little research that has been published in the medical literature.

But maybe others can come up with more.

 

[theos]

Thanks for sharing. I'd never heard of it.

As of 2005 the FDA still had an import alert on germanium which is typical of the FDA and their attitude towards natural products. However, there were some cases of nephrotoxicity leading to death in Japan.

I found this website that talks about the above, and how the deaths were due to the toxic inorganic form of germanium in excess of two grams per day. It also gives history, FDA information and links about germanium.

Germanium Sesquioxide
Organic Germanium
Bis (2-Carboxyethylgermanium)sesquioxide
Introduction

The term “organic germanium” has become synonymous for Bis(2-carboxyethylgermanium) sesquioxide. While Bis(2-carboxyethylgermanium) sesquioxide can be accurately called “organic germanium”, this is somewhat akin to calling a Mercedes-Benz “an automobile”. A Mercedes Benz is indeed an automobile, but not all automobiles are a Mercedes-Benz. In like manner, not all organic germanium is Bis(2-carboxyethylgermanium) sesquioxide. Scientists report over 53 organic forms and upwards of 30 organic derivatives of germanium. This fact must be taken into consideration when researching the true physiological effects of Bis(2-carboxyethylgermanium) sesquioxide; which for purposes of convenience we will call germanium sesquioxide

Few nutritional products are so poorly understood and widely mistreated as germanium sesquioxide. Germanium sesquioxide is a safe and powerful ally to the body’s natural immune response and as such, offers numerous benefits. However, some proponents of germanium sesquioxide have adorned it with so many unsubstantiated claims that true benefits are occasionally obscured by “snake oil” myth and mysticism. On the other hand, some opponents consider germanium sesquioxide a highly dangerous substance and urge industries everywhere to voluntarily discontinue its promotion. Our goal is to provide accurate, easily understood information on this subject that also sheds light on the source of misunderstanding.


Germanium Sesquioxide
Organic Germanium
Bis (2-Carboxyethylgermanium)sesquioxide
Background

Germanium is a trace element discovered in 1886 with characteristics similar to carbon, silicon and tin. Its properties make it useful in both health, and industrial applications. Germanium is ubiquitous in nature and our food supply but exists in relatively low amounts. Scientists estimate daily intake for most humans is between 0.1 and 4 mg.

Like many minerals, germanium exists in numerous forms. The form of a mineral greatly affects its biological activity and safety. Minerals like chromium, sodium, potassium, phosphorous and selenium are essential to health and wellness or even life itself. However, they also exist in forms that can be deadly. Fortunately, we generally know enough to avoid the deadly forms and benefit from proper levels of safe forms.

Germanium is one mineral for which considerable confusion still exists. The reckless acts of a few un-scrupled profiteers over a decade ago and the failure of scientists to correctly classify the different forms fostered over-generalized statements on the hazards of all germanium containing products. These elements, combined with an alarming departure by a few “scientists” from the true scientific method, set an ideal stage for misunderstanding.

 

[shijing]

If someone is interested to have the two papers in PDF, PM me your email address and I will send it to you.

Thanks for offering, nicklebleu -- I'd be interested, and I'll PM you my address.

From what I can see at this stage it seems to me that this could be an interesting substance for cancer treatment, as well as for chronic infections not otherwise curable by standard medicine.

But at this stage I don't have enough information to recommend that as a 'daily supplement'. Unfortunately it seems that there is very little research that has been published in the medical literature.

That's my impression too, so far -- I'm interested in this as a possible supplement to the antibiotic protocol, but it doesn't seem like something you'd necessarily want to take on a daily basis. I don't really know much about it at this point -- I may eventually try to get ahold of one of the books I linked to above.

I found this website that talks about the above, and how the deaths were due to the toxic inorganic form of germanium in excess of two grams per day. It also gives history, FDA information and links about germanium.

Thanks, Odyssey -- and yes, it looks like there's a big difference between the organic and inorganic forms of germanium. It's mentioned in the one SOTT article I was able to find on it:

https://www.sott.net/article/213483-According-to-Scientific-Researcher-Jeffrey-Zindler-Misleading-Report-on-Supplements-Creates-Consumer-Confusion

Jeffrey Zindler, Scientific Researcher said,

"Unfortunately the news media spends time attacking supplements which are safe and beneficial to the body. They misrepresent these natural products such as germanium by saying all forms of germanium are toxic. This is a blatant lie. While germanium dioxide is toxic, germanium-132 is naturally found in many foods."

Germanium-132 showed up in the Consumer Reports September issue. Mr. Zindler stated,

"Consumer Reports should be able to prove to the public that it has harmful effects, but in reality - that is impossible! For the simple reason that Germanium-132 is naturally found in Garlic, Ginseng and Aloe Vera, which we all know have many health benefits and are not toxic to consume.

"These are only a few of the foods that are loaded with Germanium-132. The Germanium-132 produced in this country is also in an organic form, which through extensive research has shown NO TOXIC SIDE EFFECTS, OR TOXICITY AT ANY AMOUNT INGESTED! Dr. Asai, of Japan made it his life's work of perfecting and finding natural sources of Germanium-132."

 

[monotonic]

Asai's whole book appears to be here:

(i) Apoplexy. One day an elderly man about my age who lived just behind me, was suddenly stricken with apoplexy and was unconscious. Immediately a physician practicing in the neighborhood was called but since there was no way for him to administer oxygen, he could only stand there with his arms folded. The man's son came running to me for help, and I gave him a solution of my germanium and showed him how to give it by mouth or through a tube inserted in the nostril. After a few hours the man regained consciousness and was able to talk. The next day he could get up and go to the bathroom by himself. To every one's amusement, that very day the same physician saw him and cried out. "It's a ghost." In those days I told everyone that in case a person suffered a stroke of apoplexy or had softening of the brain, he should be given my germanium within six hours by mouth if possible or through a tube in the nose. By this means two firemen were saved from carbon monoxide poisoning just short of death. A construction worker at the point of asphyxiation was also restored to life. Whenever things like this happen, the doctors are amazed and wonder if 1 am not using some kind of magic. Because of all these things, I urge old men with a fear of apoplexy always to carry germanium on them when they go out.

 

[shijing]

Asai's whole book appears to be here:

Thanks, monotonic -- I didn't realize that the whole book was included on that link, but I think you're right that it is. That's one that can be taken off the order list!

 

[monotonic]

There are some really fantastic claims of healing there - eyes, strokes, raynaud's, etc. By coincidence we found Jarrow's Germanium on clearance at our local health market, so I'm trying it out.

I have always wondered how someone would survive being frozen - maybe Germanium is one of the prerequisites?

 

[monotonic]

This is a research paper that seems to be fully up to date (2017) and includes much of the results of previous research, corroborating some claims going all the way back to Dr Asai's book (but Asai did not give credit to the researchers in Russia who synthesized Ge-132). I skimmed through Asai's book and at times it's hard to take seriously. Asai's book is criticised as being unscientific. It's full of anecdotes (some of them a little weird) and religious sentiment.

Advances in Effect of Germanium or Germanium Compounds on Animals—A Review

Some interesting bits:

Germanium is widely distributed throughout the body and is not selectively retained in any tissue [1] . The concentration of germanium is generally very low in animal tissues or organs, and is different in different tissues and organs: from high to low in kidney, liver, lung, stomach, muscle, heart and brain [2] . Germanium can also be found in many enzymes of the body, such as guaninase, cytochrome oxidase, carbonic anhydrase, and in some other subcellular organelles including the cell wall, mitochondria and chromosomes [3]

Germanium can scavenge the free radicals and enhance the body’s antioxidant capacity. As a result, organogermanium can reduce the lipid peroxidation, protect the cell membrane from injury, and reduce the lipid peroxide level in plasma, liver or brain tissues [48] [49] [50] [51] . Ge-132 can significantly increase the glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in broilers [52] [53] , and reduce the amount of free radicals in liver and kidney of rats [54] . In addition, the in vitro studies have also found that G-132 is able to scavenge reactive oxygen species and prevent reactive oxygen species from inducing injury to cells [55] [56]

Germanium can promote the growth of animals by increasing the content of iodine, including triiodothyronine (T3) and tetraiodothyroxine (T4) content, and enhancing the metabolic function of organisms.

It has been proven that germanium can prevent pigmentation and inhibit the production of melanocytes. Ge-132, for example, can reduce the synthesis of melanocytes by reducing the number of organelles, increasing the apoptosis, and decreasing the tyrosinase activity [86] . In addition, Ge-132 can prevent cataract by dissolving glycated proteins and increasing the activity of Na+-K+-ATP enzymes [87] [88] [89] [90] [91] . Amino acid germanium oxide or organogermanium-Ge-401 can extend the average lifespanand the maximum lifespan of the fruit fly [92] . Ge-132 can inhibit the development of liver necrosis and the increase of serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT) which induced by carbon tetrachloride in mice, and then play a key role in protecting the liver [93] . Organogermanium can improve the ability of animals to survive hypoxia and extend the life of animals in hypoxia [54] . In human, Ge-132 can significantly reduce the level of parathyroid hormone in serum, prevent and treat age-related osteoporosis [94] [95] , and could be the prevention of old age amyloidosis [96] [97] . The oxide of germanium could inhibit the genotoxicity of cadmium chloride as well [98] .